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or to make light of their Doctrine, is not fo SER M. much an Injury to them, as it is an Affront to their Mafter. The Words they utter, fo long as they explain or enforce the Scriptures, are fuch as they are commanded by GoD to preach; and therefore the Dishonour redounds to him, if they are not received with Attention and Obedience. For our Saviour told his Difciples, He that heareth you, beareth me, and that the Neglect of hearing them, would be a Contempt not fo much to them, as to himself and his Father. For he, (faith our Saviour) that despiseth you, defpifeth me; and he, that defpifeth me, despiseth him that fent me, Luke x. 16. But this naturally leads me to the next Head of my Discourse, under which I am to observe,

II. SECONDLY, That left the Ministers of the Word, by being Men, like ourselves, should want Authority to enforce the Word they preach, GOD has thought fit to dignify them with a Divine Commiffion, and thereby to separate and distinguish them from the reft of Mankind. And here it will be neceffary in the first Place to obferve, that, as it may be reasonably expected, that Ministers of the Word fhould be able to prove that they

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SER M. they act by GoD's Authority, even to the

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Satisfaction of those they preach to; so have those who have been duly commiffioned been always able to give Evidence of such Authority. This Evidence indeed has been different as the Occafion has required: For whenever God has made Use of any extraordinary Messengers, either to foretel any fignal Mercy, or to denounce any fudden Judgment, or to be the Authors of a new Difpenfation; he has impowered them to prove their Miffion by external Signs and Wonders. Thus Mofes, and thus Chrift, who came, each of them, to establish a new Law, first fhewed their Divine Commiffion by the Finger of GOD. And the Prophets, when they foretold any fignal Mercy or Judgment not before revealed, either left the Event of their Prediction to fhew the Truth of their Miffion, or, if there was Occafion for it, made Ufe of a Miracle. But at other Times, when God has given Men a ftanding Rule to walk by, and has appointed an ordinary Course of Minifters to interpret it to the People; these Ministers, being not to make any new Revelation, but only to expound a Law already given, have no Occafion to work. fresh Miracles to prove their Commiffion,

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but only to be able to fhew by that Law it- SER M. self, that they are the Perfons appointed to preach it to the People. Thus when the Law of Mofes was given to the Ifraelites, it was made a perpetual Ordinance of that Law, that Aaron and his Sons, after him should teach the Children of Ifrael all the Statutes which the Lord had spoken unto them by the Hand of Mofes, Levit. x. 11. So that their Commiffion to teach and expound the Law was attefted fufficiently, without further Evidence, by the Law itself. And so again when our Saviour introduced a new Religion, and gave us the Gospel to walk by; he appointed the Apostles, and those that should regularly derive their Commiffion from them, by a spiritual Generation, to be the ordinary Minifters of it, even to the End of the World, Matt. xxviii. 19, 20. And this general Commiffion being by his Command recorded in the Gospel itself; they that fo derive their Authority to preach the Word, can give as convincing Evidence of their Miffion (to those I mean who believe the Gospel) as if they could prove it by Signs and Wonders. Nor is it any Objection, that the Apostles worked Miracles to prove their Miffion, notwithstanding the Authority of the Gospel that they

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SER M. received it directly from Chrift himself; be X. cause those whom the Apostles preached to,

were fuch as had never heard of, or at least acknowledged, our Saviour; and confequently fuch as the Gofpel was not known to. And therefore we may very reasonably fuppose, that before any People or Nation would receive a new Religion, which quite overthrew or destroyed their old one, they would demand fome extraordinary Proof of the Truth of that Religion which was proposed in the Room of it. So that in Reality, the End of the Apostles working Miracles, was not fo much to prove they had received their Commiffion from Chrift, as to prove that Chrift himself, who sent them, was no Impoftor; but that, though the unknown, he was yet the true GOD. Whereas with us the Case is quite different. We believe in Christ as our Saviour, and have received the Gospel as his Word: And therefore fince that informs us that they who derive their Commiffion by Succeffion from the Apoftles, and fo from Him, are by Him empowered to preach the Word; we are not to demand any extraordinary Teft of their Miffion, but to acquiefce under the general Proof which the Gospel gives of their Authority. Since therefore

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their Commiffion is fo evident and undenia- SER M. ble; and fince the Scriptures affirm in express Terms that GOD has committed unto them the Word of Reconciliation, and that they are Ambaffadors for Chrift, as though GOD did beseech you by them, 2 Cor. v. 19, 20. there needs no further Argument to fhew that, though the Ministers of GOD are Men of like Paffions and Failings with yourselves, yet they want no Authority to enforce the Word they preach.

But the Text implies a great deal more: and that is, that none are qualified to preach the Word without Authority. For the Que→ ftion here asked, (How shall they preach except they be fent?) plainly intimates that Preaching is an Act of Authority, not to be undertaken, but by fuch as are especially commiffioned thereunto. But here we must obferve, that it is one Thing to interpret the Scripture in a private Way, and to inftruct the Ignorant in the Meaning of it, according to the best of one's Capacity, when Opportunities fhall offer, and Occafions require; and another to take upon one's Self the Func tion of preaching and explaining the Gospel publickly and with Authority. The firft of thefe is not only lawful and commendable,

but